Another Adventure Begins!

It was a conditioned reflex – my anxious hand reaching for the phone on the side table and refreshing my inbox for any emails even before my eyes accustomed themselves to the bright light of the morning. The application process had been exhausting considering the pandemic – preparing for the standardized tests, drafting my statement of purpose and getting the recommendation letters from the mentors while juggling project deadlines and leading a team full time was a challenge. At the beginning of January, every day began with the hope of any correspondence from the universities.  However, by the end of March 2021, I didn’t really care if I got an admit or a denial – all that I sought was closure.

The initial days were the toughest – it felt as though the rest of the world was speeding while I struggled to maintain a snail’s pace. As time passed, uncertainty grew familiar. And then, when I felt that all hope was lost, I received an acceptance from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. To say that I was thrilled would be an understatement – it was one of the top universities on my list. I heaved a sigh of relief that the worst bit was over. Little did I know that the rocky road was only the beginning of a rather bumpy journey.

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By the end of April, I learnt that Murphy’s Law holds true more often than not – with the spread of the second wave of the pandemic, the time required for processing the I20, virtually no regular visa slots, the presidential proclamation limiting travel from India kicking three days before I was eligible to apply for the emergency visa, and limited COVID vaccination opportunities in India for my age group, things looked bleak at best. The biggest risk I took was booking my tickets to Austin before I even had my visa in place (which actually paid off big time!). Understanding that the entire effort would be pointless if I tested COVID positive before the flight, I began isolating myself for a couple of weeks before the journey. The hardest part of this episode was to leave so many close friends without being able to say goodbye – it was just unfair!

The actual journey to the land of opportunity was no piece of cake either. The batchmates scheduled to fly out of Delhi had their flights cancelled at the absolute last moment. While my experience was smooth, a couple of other batchmates struggled at the Mumbai Airport because of the ambiguity concerning the national interest exception for F1 students. Fortunately, despite being a LONG journey, it was uneventful.

I gained a few pearls of wisdom from the beginning of this new roller coaster of a journey – the first one is about keeping calm in the face of crisis and calculating the next step considering the limited information available (ideally keeping emotions aside). Life is uncertain, especially so for the international students pursuing MS in the US. The best you can do is remain positive and have faith that everything will work itself out – even if it doesn’t you will have a heck of a story to tell. Finally, reach out and lean on your support system. Talk to them regularly. Moving abroad, especially when you haven’t stayed away from your loved ones can be overwhelming at times; and figuring your way through the immensity of the change can be stressful. Having a friendly face around helps beat the stress and loneliness, especially in the initial days.

Japan Journal – First Impressions

13th September 2019

“Japanese Sake? Are you sure?” the stewardess asked with a puzzled look as she pulled a bottle out of the cart and poured the transparent liquid into two glasses, filling a little less than half of each and passing them on to my buddy Aishwarya and me.

As I reached for the glass, my mind reeled to the past few weeks – how it all began from a discussion about shared interest for travel – a casual comment about travelling together, a rather long and diverse shortlist (we began with Bhutan and Sikkim initially and then the discussion moved to Scandinavia, South Korea, and Vietnam before we zeroed in on Japan), the arduous iterative process of itinerary development (we redid the itinerary from scratch thrice) and finally the reservations and last-minute packing.

Looking back, I realise that Japan was a subconscious choice – the interactions I had had with the Japanese culture over the course of the last year had compelled me to the experience Japan firsthand. The first was my interaction with a couple of roommates in my Europe backpacking trip – Mayu (Prague) and Masumi (Interlaken), whose kindness and ever-smiling faces won me over in absolutely no time. And there was the Football World Cup incident that propelled the country higher on my bucket list.

My first dose of Japanese hospitality was received long before we touched down in Japan. It was the All Nippon Airlines (ANA) stewardesses – they went out of their way to ensure that we were more than comfortable throughout the flight. Little did I know that the flight experience was just the trailer to the movie. From the very moment I stepped on the Japanese soil, my awe grew exponentially. The first interaction in Japan was with the Immigrations officials who processed my application in a flash with a smile and an “Arigato Gozaimasu.” Subsequently, I lost count of the number of times I heard the term during the brief hour and a half that I spent at the Narita Airport.

My experience with the lady at the JRT counter while processing my JR Pass elevated my respect for the Japanese culture and efficiency to another level. In a span of fewer than 20 minutes, she had processed our applications and given us our passes,

helped us plan our journey to Kyoto (she suggested that we transfer at the Shinagawa station instead of Tokyo station to reduce confusion), reserved our tickets for the connecting train journeys, given us a few tips for our travel and coupons for attractions in Kyoto and suggested an app which would help us plan our travel better, all with a kind smile while making us feel right at home.

I had been really looking forward to spending a couple of weeks in the amazing place. I knew that it was going to be an experience of a lifetime.

The Ahmedabad Wedding – Sangeet

Day 0

Ever since watching ‘Jab We Met’ (and a rather memorable incident about nine years ago) I have been slightly cautious about reaching the railway station on time. This time was no different – I had almost packed up everything and had a couple of hours to reach Mumbai Central for my 11.25pm Duronto Express to Ahmedabad Junction. The occasion of the weekend trip was the wedding of my classmate Apurvi’s brother. Stuffing whatever I could remember in my suitcase I rushed to finish the upma that my mother had served at the table. Although I suggested otherwise, my parents insisted on dropping me at the terminus themselves. My friends Sree and Kriti had reached almost an hour before I did and were already waiting for me in the coach with their parents. We chatted with their parents for a bit before the beginning of the journey. The journey was more of a mini-sleepover for us – we sat chatting about our college experiences, reminiscing the funniest and the lamest moments we have had yet. Our discussion about the kleptomaniac (on whom we based our own fictional version of Dhoom 4 😛 ) and a certain Gujarati classmate whose very name is enough to cause a laugh riot was enough to set the ball rolling. We finally decided to hit the sack at 3.30am, in order to have a little energy left in the morning.

Day 1

As the train slowed down before reaching Ahmedabad station, I was woken up by Kriti. We were warmly greeted by Apurvi and her dad as we alighted. After dragging our bags to the end of the station and packing them in the car. I surprised myself quite a bit – I had packed 2 extra sets of dresses (in case the need arose…) but had conveniently misread the weather report on google and not carried any warm clothes. I was practically shivering – what was I even thinking while wearing a sleeveless top anyway! It was really sweet of Kriti to lend me a shawl – I will never forget how contrastingly nice and warm it felt in comparison to the chilly Ahmedabad mornings. After picking up Apurvi’s brother we headed to Hotel Shrimad at Chandkheda, where we would be staying for the next couple of days. Our friend Krupa had flown in as well and joined us there.

The hotel stay was one of a kind – it was IN a mall! The very check-in process at the hotel was funny – after submitting our ID proofs we were asked to sign in to the register and provide a thumb print (god knows why!) With the luggage placed in the rooms, the five of us chatted a bit before deciding to rest for a while. In the process we (Apurvi included) missed out on the Haldi ceremony (It was only later in the evening that we got to know about the substitution of turmeric with Vicco Turmeric cream. It was certainly the most creative jugaad one could ever come up with!).

The elevators leading to the hotel were one of a kind as well – never before had I heard (or even imagined) of an elevator chiming “Thank You. Visit Again. You’re Welcome” with a slight Gujarati accent. Sree and I ended up taking the elevator almost every single time just for the heck of it. We finally went to Apurvi’s place for a rather late breakfast, and were greeted by her mom. I was left mesmerized by the environment and their hospitality – we practically felt at home. Apurvi’s mom is hands-down one of the coolest moms I have ever met – her knowledge of all the happenings in college is pretty much up-to-date, and I absolutely love her ability to make anybody laugh within seconds of meeting them. We were soon greeted by Anshul (Apurvi’s brother – the groom), who jokingly mentioned that he had heard *just a little* about us. Apurvi showed us around and told us about her childhood memories of her pets as we chatted in the balcony. Apurvi’s cousin Prerna also chatted with us for a while. After a rather awesome breakfast of Chhole Bhature, we headed back to our hotel rooms to freshen up and catch up on our sleep. We faced a rather intriguing event as we returned to our room – although I distinctly remembered switching off all the lights and taking the keys with me, the lights were somehow on. This made Sree and me wonder if there was some ghost lurking around waiting for us to leave.

The evening turned out to be eventful – Sree, Apurvi and I ended up wearing almost the same shade of pine green for the Sangeet ceremony. The function was arranged at the Sun and Step Club. Apurvi looked stunning in the mini-photoshoot we had before everyone else arrived (our group had been the first to reach there). It was a bit funny, as we had to go outside again so that we could be formally welcomed by the bride’s side. The bride Bharvi looked picture perfect in her navy blue dress.

The highlight of the evening – the beautiful couple 😀

We all chatted a bit before the event actually began. The Sangeet ceremony was definitely a treat – in addition to the live orchestra, there were a number of dazzling dance performances put together by the relatives of the couple.

Apurvi’s Mum dancing to Sawaar Loon

Apurvi’s mom stole the show – the grace and finesse with which she danced to the slow and the fast beats, coupled with the choreography, simply blew our minds away. Even now when I listen to the song ‘Sawaar Loon’ I am instantly reminded of her performance.

The rest of the evening was pretty lively – people danced to the Garba tunes that the orchestra played. I shied away from Garba as I couldn’t really match up to the tempo or get the steps right. Krupa really seemed to enjoy the dance though – I guess Garba just runs in her veins. We all took to the dance floor after dinner in the last part of the evening, when Bollywood tunes were being played – that was definitely our turf! The air had suddenly become so charged – more than a hundred people dancing their heart out.

We danced till our legs were sore…we then waited a bit and danced some more. This was one dance event we all thoroughly enjoyed – we must have danced for almost a couple of hours. I kept dancing even though my leg was sprained a bit, and interestingly enough the pain just went away. Sree surprised us with her amazing Bollywood moves – we had no idea she danced so well! The funniest memories of the evening included being almost knocked over by Kriti and Apurvi as they played Phugadi, and dancing to the Marathi song Jhingaat – the expressions on our faces were just phenomenal! We chatted a bit with Apurvi’s mom before we left for our hotel rooms – the Sangeet definitely was a roaring success. We finally retired to our rooms at 12.30am, and drifted to slumberland in a matter of minutes.

Here is the link to the next part – the Shaadi blog post

Unleashing Creativity: Start-Ups

What does one get after throwing together a huge population of enthusiastic youth, a tinge of cost-effectiveness and a dash of entrepreneurial attitude in a blender? Well, the answer is creativity. “Start-up” has been the trend since 2015. Well, the whole thing really took off with the introduction of the web series called TVF Pitchers (“Tu beer hai” had even become the conversation opener for one of my cousins!). With the Government initiatives like “Start Up India, Stand Up India” the start-up environment did get a real boost. Here are a few of the experiences I have had with start-ups in the past few days (Some of them really crazy, the others not-so-much; but each of them kinda memorable).

 

Going chronologically, the first one on my list is Frools. This start-up supplies fruits depending on the family size on a subscription basis, six days a week. The coolest part about it is the element of surprise – we have no clue about which fruits would be delivered.

I would look forward to opening of the paper bag every evening and checking out the fruits of the day. It could be something local like bananas or sweetlimes, or something seasonal like mulberries and strawberries, or something completely exotic such as dragonfruits, mangosteen and rambutans. In some cases, when we wouldn’t know when a certain fruit would ripen, there would be some sticker attached to the bag, which would help us out (as in case of avocados). He has now diversified to supply tender coconuts and vegetables as well. He even gives recipes for the not-so-commonly-available vegetables… Cool isn’t it?

 

The next one on the list is Born Adventurer. This start-up is the brainchild of adrenaline junkie nature lovers who believe in redefining their limits with every adventure. My experience with them, a daylong trek to Vikatgad and back, was bittersweet. Although we had our moments, the trek was a wonderful learning experience. Ignoring the aching muscles and pushing myself to complete the trek made me realize that we are capable of achieving so much more than we think – all we need is the will to walk and a can-do attitude. The best part is that we feel so much at ease in the lap of nature, and the view from the top is totally worth every ounce of pain one goes through.  A special thanks to everyone who made the trip an experience to remember.

 

Well, there are quite a few things that makes the next one really special, the one on the top of the list being passion and enthusiasm. For a special occasion we decided to trust the Zomato ratings for Mexican cuisine and not go to the regular restaurants for dinner. Looking at the ratings for The Fusion Kitchen (TFK) at Borivali West, we were intrigued to give it a shot. And I had absolutely no clue how enjoyable the evening would turn out to be. The place is barely 5 months old and already has a rating of 4.5 out of 5!

Although the place is a little cozy, the ambience kicks everything up a notch. With really cool art on the wall, amazing music and a refreshingly creative take on the food, TFK lives up to its name. The love and passion for food they share shone in the way they interacted. Well, the best “jugaadu” part that I loved was the menu – although so simple, it was plain genius. I was pleasantly surprised by the “Paneer Tikka Laced with Dark Rum”: it was something I couldn’t have imagined, and the smoky flavour really kicked it up a notch! My favourite part of the evening had to be “The Flowerpot Surprise.” It looked just like a flower in a pot, and I was left truly amazed after he told us that the “mud” was edible. This one is really worth a try. I am surely going there again soon.

 

Juugaad.in is a food-based start-up – the USP being that it serves late night food. Although I have not tried this one yet, I am truly a fan of the marketing ideas the guy has employed. It might classify as annoying to some (and vandalism maybe?), it successfully managed to grab some eyeballs. Apart from circulating the usual pamphlets, this guy has spray-painted the contact details on QUITE A FEW places. The most interesting one being on the doors of a dilapidated Maruti 800 car! The car just stood out among the numerous others parked nearby. This guy just gave a new twist to marketing altogether!

 

Flicbox is one of the start-ups that really makes people with a sweet tooth smile (and makes me grin :D). Applying the idea of discovery commerce or d-commerce, this gem brings imported and gourmet chocolates to one’s doorstep at VERY competitive rates (yup… a fraction of what you would be otherwise paying in malls and airports). In addition to that, on Flicbox Thursdays, one can get chocolates such as Hershey’s for upto 1/6^th of the market rates! Well, soon they plan to expand the product line to chocolates for the health conscious too. Although the shipping is currently limited to Mumbai, I hope that they spread their sweetness to other cities as well soon.

The last one is the simplest of the lot, and really got me thinking. At a very rare occasion of an early morning walk near an IT park, I came across a guy – no more than 20 (I guess) selling idlis and wadas. The people there prepare the food early in the morning, bring it in steel containers, and serve it to the people on their way to work at a really reasonable price. Summing it up: home-cooked warm food and reasonable price – a win-win for everybody! An entrepreneurship is not always about making a big splash and big money – it’s more about observing a lacuna, filling it creatively, adding some value in the process, and bringing a smile to someone’s face.

Besting Myself – The Vikatgad Trek

17^th January 2016

Getting an extended weekend, chilling with a bestie, finally going for a long-desired trek and climbing 2000 feet after pushing myself to the limit were the highlights of the last week. Well, it all began about 4 days before the trek. Although I haven’t really been in the best shape, I had been planning a trek for a while. The last one I had been to was two-and-a-half years ago at Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Wanting to begin my year with a bang, I decided to join Born Adventurer – a start-up, on their trek to Peb/Vikatgad. A mutual friend introduced me to the team leader Kartik, and I was eager to trek. A classmate of mine – Apurvi seemed interested and I asked her to tag along. Kartik had asked us to reach the boarding point at 5am initially.

We had decided to sleep over at my place the night before leaving for the trek in the morning. Wrapping up an assignment due soon, we went to sleep at 1am, setting the alarm for 4am. We barely slept though, as we were really psyched about the action packed day ahead. We woke up at 4 and were all set to leave at 5am, when Kartik called me up saying that he would be slightly delayed due to a couple of members joining him at the starting point at Borivali. He also said that he would ask one of his friends to join us at the pick-up point, and that he expected to reach by 5.30am. My parents had offered to drop Apurvi and me at the pick-up point. However, neither of us had the least idea about what was going to happen next. We reached there at about 5.20am. It was dark and chilly, and the roads were almost clear sans a few bikers, taxis and buses. We waited for a while before confining ourselves to the warmth of the car. We tried contacting Kartik but unfortunately we couldn’t get through after numerous attempts (I must have called 20 times…Apurvi called 10 times!). She and I looked at every crossing bus and wondered if it was ours. Finally, we decided to check one last time at 6.15am and go back home if there wasn’t any success. We walked out of the car, and were relieved to meet Viplove, who informed us that Kartik’s cell phone had suddenly stopped working, and that the bus would be reaching in another ten minutes.

En route to Peb

We sat in the bus a few long minutes later, and witnessed the eastern end starless black sky lighten up by a few shades. It had been a while since I had witnessed and enjoyed the whole event of sunrise, and not just seen the sun rising. “Murphy’s Law” Apurvi and I joked, thinking about whatever could have gone wrong in the first couple of hours. Little did we know what lay in store. Kartik explained the cascading effect of his phone dying – he couldn’t contact anybody, including the bus driver! It took him a while to locate his friends and the bus driver at the starting point, and ultimately delayed almost everything by a couple of hours. A quick introduction with the others and a song session helped set the mood. Most of the gang comprised of Kartik’s friends, and their friends. We were 12 of us – 6 girls and 6 guys. The other guys in the gang were Dhwanit, Rahul, Prathamesh and Jayesh. The girls were a cheerful bunch – Purvangi, Mitali, Snehal and Harsha. The first couple of hours were comfortable, albeit bumpy. We stopped near Neral Railway Station for a nice warm breakfast at Shri Samarth Prasanna Restaurant. A plate and a half of poha later, I was ready to go. Kartik informed us that there would be no lunch as we were delayed by almost 2 hours (He had initially planned to start the ascent at 8.30am, but by the time we reached the base of the hill it was well past ten). We got chatting with Dhwanit over food – he gave us a pretty interesting piece of advice: avoid lagging behind, as the people walking in the end are usually the first to give up.

Apurvi and I decided to put all the necessities into my bag and take it – we ended up taking 3 litres of water, about 5 energy bars and hand towels. Dhwanit had warned us at the restaurant itself that it was a medium level trek and would prove to be slightly difficult for the first timers, and that it was a real test of our endurance. I was up for the challenge, as I knew more or less what to expect. We had to walk from the railway station to the base of the trek, near a small village. One of the guys there told us that the trek would take us about a couple of hours (and a maximum of 3) one way. The guys were all adrenaline junkies, ready for another adventure. However we girls were mostly newbies and I estimated that we would need some extra time. The guys instructed us to not drink too much water or sit down to rest frequently, as it would wear us out sooner. So on an average, we all had about a sip of water every half an hour or so. The trek turned out to be slightly hard for Apurvi in the beginning – she had almost given up in the first couple of hours. I don’t know what happened after that…all of a sudden she just started walking and barely took breaks. Dhwanit kept motivating us throughout.

The funniest part of the trek was the time we reached the seasonal waterfall – we saw a trail leading somewhere, and embarked on it. Out of nowhere a localite appeared to tell us that the trail wasn’t safe and that he knew another way to the top. “Nobody who has gone there has made it back alive” he sneered. This startled a few of us, who started doubting the path chosen. The guys figured that he was just trying to mess with our minds (and trying to get hired as a guide) and continued on the path. Just to lighten up the moment, they joked that there would be cannibals at the other end waiting to either kill us, or roast us alive and feast on us. Laughing it off, we walked for a while traversing large steep stones and narrow paths only to realize that it was a dead end (I guess I understand the reference to the word “dead” now – he might have been referring to the trail and not the trekkers!). After spending about an hour and finally retracing our steps back to the waterfall, we decided to take another route…yeah…the waterfall itself! I didn’t really expect that to happen – the stones were almost as steep as the wrong trail before, and were huge in some places. We did require quite a bit of effort to push ourselves up – the ascent was taxing.

View from the peak

View from the peak

After finishing three quarters of the climb we girls were drained. I was amazed by Mitali’s effort, as she wouldn’t give up even after being completely exhausted. Although she was lagging a little behind us, she put one foot in front of the other and braved on. We figured it would take her a little long to reach us. Dhwanit went to explore the little stretch that remained, and shouted back once he reached the peak. The short amount of time he took (barely 8 mins) motivated us to somehow try to reach the top. I felt all the more motivated to push myself harder once I could see him. It wasn’t so difficult after all – it just appeared so. And honestly speaking, the view from the top was completely worth the effort and the pain. It was almost 3.45pm and we were to begin our descent after resting a while. We began our descent at about 4pm – well, most of us (that is, excluding Prathamesh and Dhwanit). This part of our journey was perhaps the most challenging one, as we had very limited amount of water left for about 2000 feet of journey. For the relatively inexperienced members of the group it proved to be tougher as our legs began to shiver and we began to experience a slight headache. The fun part was tackling the steep slippery rocks. I remember slipping and falling on my back once. I prayed for strength to put one foot ahead of the other so that we could reach the base before dark. We took a nice two hours to reach though. Surprisingly it took Prathamesh and Dhwanit only half the time we took – it took them barely an hour to catch up!

The Temple at the top

The sweetest part of the day was reaching the village. We were completely drained and requested the villagers for water, sugar and a little salt. They were more than kind and fulfilled our every need with a smile. Apurvi, being in no position to walk to the bus, requested a family for a ride till there. They were more than happy to help out! The best of human nature is brought out in times like these – everything about the villagers felt divine. The journey back was pretty pleasant – cool breeze, my favourite songs and vada-pav with Maaza. We all chatted about almost everything under the sun and bade bye to each other as we neared the drop-off point.

 

The trek was an experience in itself, as it made me push myself and redefine the limits I thought I had. I certainly am looking forward to a lot more adventures and treks in the near future. Special thanks to Born Adventurer for making the experience memorable.

 

 

For those who plan a trip to Peb/Vikatgad, here are a few pointers that might help –

• Breakfast was pretty decent at the Shree Samarth Prasanna restaurant near Neral Railway Station
• Preferably start the trek latest by 8.30am – the later you start, the more you get drained because of the harsh sun
• Preferably have a light to moderate breakfast, or start the trek a couple of hours after a heavy breakfast
• Once you reach the waterfall, choose to climb the waterfall as it is a challenge in itself
• Carry enough water – 2 litres per person is a must in order to avoid dehydration
• Carry biscuits, citrus fruits or energy bars so as to replenish energy instantly
• Make sure your shoes have are well-fitting and have a good grip. Preferably trim your toe nails – I was slightly uncomfortable as my toes hurt.
• General tips for first timers – walk slowly if you must, but avoid stopping as you get tired faster. Avoid being the last in line as the ones in the end are the first ones to give up.
• Although the trek is labelled moderate, for first-timers it slightly edges towards the difficult side.
• Tip for first timers: Be prepared for a couple of days of soreness 😛

 

Photo Credits: My fellow trekkers 😀

Bengaluru Diaries: The Beginning

I looked outside the window with my sleepy eyes – it was a balmy summer morning in Mumbai. My thoughts wandered to the past week, which had made me push myself to my limits – 6 back-to-back exams! 9 semester-end exams in 13 days is the best record my University has set yet. My thoughts rolled back to the sight outside my window soon. A good chunk of the view outside was occupied by a huge wing. In the background were a bunch of vehicles and a short but an expansive building called Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) Terminal 1B.

It seems like only yesterday that I had joined college, and in the twinkling of an eye, more than half my course is over. Time sure knows how to drift away. Coming back to my impending journey, I was seated on a window seat overlooking the wings and I was really happy. Somehow, most of the times I manage to get a seat near the wing. This journey was really special to me – not because I was travelling alone for the first time, but because it symbolised the beginning of one of the most interesting adventure of my life yet.

The plane was jam packed. I felt a little jerk as we were being towed to the runway. The feeling was replaced soon by the adrenaline rushing. We began to gather speed and I welcomed the tingling sensation in my spine as the wheels left the runway. I was feeling a million emotions at once – it was mostly excitement and happiness, along with a tinge of loneliness (although my family was less than 15km away at that instant), and a bit of worry for the uncertainty that lay ahead. The sleepiness was replaced with the feeling of wonder as I observed the movement of the flaps on the wings. I have carried that feeling with me for a very long time – I just don’t seem to get enough of it.

The surroundings began to shrink in a matter of seconds, and soon we were up in the clouds. My heart sank a little as I bade goodbye to the only manmade landmark of Mumbai I could identify from the plane – the Bandra Worli Sealink. I felt a little cheered up talking to the lady occupying the seat next to mine. She expressed her excitement about travelling by plane for the first time, and about experiencing the beauty and bounty of Karnataka with her family. Getting to talk to someone was a delightful experience – made the journey less lonely. Talking to her really brightened my day.

I knew that the journey was pretty short – two hours at max. Although the departure of the flight was delayed a little due to traffic, we managed to land before the scheduled arrival time at the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru. Picking up my suitcase from the carousel, I stepped out of the airport to see my aunt waiting for me with a big smile. Keeping aside the fact that I wouldn’t be seeing my family for a couple of months, I think it was the best morning I could have possibly had.

MH02VA7909

Refusal of fare by rickshaw-guys in Mumbai is something almost everybody faces on a daily basis. Finding a rickshaw in the peak hours is nothing short of a miracle. Even if you do find one, you are sure to be at the rickshaw-driver’s mercy when it comes to the choice of route to the destination. What really irritates me about their attitude is the indifference with which they treat the people sometimes. Yesterday I found one after walking about 600 meters from my college and unsuccessfully trying to convince about twelve of them.

Sitting in the rickshaw with two other classmates, I recollected this incident that occurred about two weeks ago. It was a bright sunny afternoon as I just walked out of college and saw a rickshaw standing nearby. When I approached him, he asked me to sit even without knowing about my destination. I was pleasantly surprised. “आप बैठ जाइए | आप जहाँ भी जाना चाहते हैं, जिस मार्ग से जाना चाहते हैं, मैं आपको ले जाऊँगा |” was what he said. This roughly translates to “Please sit down. I will take you wherever you want to go, by whichever route you prefer.” I couldn’t help but smile at his politeness. Observing the quizzical expression on my face, he told me that he avoided refusing fare, especially that of ladies and college students. On asking why, he told me that he understood the inconvenience the college students face while travelling. Like me, his daughter too is a university student and faces the same problem every day. I was too stumped to reply.

I felt a surge of pride as I got off at the railway station. One simple man – just a simple rickshaw driver had made his contribution to the society, by doing his job well and taking pains to educate his children. One simple man made a difference. He made my day. I noted the registration number of the rickshaw as I left for the railway platform with a smile on my face. As you might have guessed by now, it was MH02VA7909.

The Backbone of Mumbai

“हम तेरे बिन अब रह नहीं सकते, तेरे बिना क्या वजूद मेरा?”

The above line may be the opening line of a recent popular song, but surely is the best compliment any Mumbaikar can give to the local train. Roughly translating, it says “I cannot live without you…I can’t imagine my existence without you”. Wikipedia stats say that the daily ridership is about 2.64 million. The mere figure shows the central role it plays in so many lives. The railway line is the oldest in Asia
“Mumbai Local”, as it is fondly known, is the backbone of my city. It is that one of the things that makes us Mumbaikars fall in love with the place. People rightly say that if one can manage to adjust to the rough rush hours in Mumbai Local, he can adjust to any place in the world. Keeping in mind the chaos caused by delaying of one Ladies’ Special Train, a day without the Local is almost impossible to imagine. To me though, Mumbai Local has been a teacher, teaching me valuable lessons of patience and adjustment.

The most valuable lesson I have learnt is compassion. The helpfulness of the fellow commuters always brings a smile to my face. Whether it’s helping the confused first-timers who catch the fast Local by mistake or helping someone alight by pushing them out, people don’t hesitate.  The best of human nature is usually seen in a crisis. Be it the floods of 2005 or the bombings of 2006, Mumbai Local bounces back to normal in hardly any time.     

I have had some of my experiences in the train. The best part is that there is never a dull moment. In my case, most of my travelling time is spent observing the landscape and the people. I see new faces in every journey, and each face has its own story to tell. People in first and second class coaches react differently to same stimuli, and observing those reactions is the reason to why my journey never feels monotonous or boring. The most recent experience which left me smiling was today morning. The women in the second class ladies coach were playing “antakshari” to pass their time… there was another group cracking jokes. Little things like this brighten the otherwise dull mornings.

Mumbai local is not just a railway service. It is the pride and the heart of Mumbai. Uniting the rich and the poor, it is one of the things that bind us all in one giant family. I am proud to be a part of this legacy. I am proud to be a Mumbaikar.

My first trek –Sanjay Gandhi National Park, June 30th 2013

I have been quite inspired by my adrenaline junkie cousin who had been to a trek to Rupin Pass in the Himalayas recently. Though I really wanted to join him, I couldn’t as my physical fitness wasn’t up to the mark. I decided to take small steps to the real thing – by trying to trek in the city limits first. On googling about the trekking groups in Mumbai I came across one called NatureKnights. They had a trek scheduled on June 30^th in Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

I was pretty impressed by the “First Monsoon Trek”, as it gave me a chance to explore something beyond the malls and the beaches this city has to offer. Though I have lived in Mumbai a majority of my life, I am sad that I didn’t make much of an attempt to explore the place earlier. Well, that’s gonna change from now onwards.

I couldn’t really sleep the night before the trek. I was very excited about it and when my alarm rang it 5.30am, I literally jumped off the bed. My dad and sis joined me in the adventure. The biggest hurdle we faced was that not one of us was in the ideal condition for trekking. Dad had a slight fever, my sis had an injured shin, and I had a swollen ankle (due to the generosity of the fire ants a couple of days ago) but this didn’t affect our spirits.

Starting point near Kanheri Caves

We left for the national park at 7.20am, after packing a nice lunch of Nutella sandwiches. We reached the park at about 7.45 and waited for our trek leader Asif uncle to begin. Mumbai monsoons are mesmerizingly beautiful. Cool breeze, a light drizzle and a very mild weather were my expectations (which were dashed eventually). After all the members arrived near Kanheri caves, we had a mini intro session and then a headcount. We were about 45 members in total. The people in the group were really pleasant and jovial, cracking jokes and laughing all along. Most of them had had many treks and I really envy them for that. There were quite a few children in the group and this added to the fun element. I found a new friend in the fellow trekkers – Jenal.

The national park is an amazing place – an actual jungle in contrast to the concrete jungle. We were instructed to not go ahead of our camp leader (though we messed up quite a bit…). I am used to walking 5 km at a stretch but on the trek I was sweating profusely within the first hour itself. The trek proved to be really taxing for the first-timers as we had practically no idea about what we were getting into. I was more than thrilled when Asif uncle announced the five minute first pit stop – a small flat area. I resented the fact that I did not apply Odomos earlier as mosquitoes had been feasting on my blood. I helped myself to generous amount of Odomos and the mosquito problem didn’t plague me for the next couple of hours. The view from this place was beautiful – a green valley and only a couple of buildings of Borivali. We could just see the golden pagoda far away.

Asif uncle informed us that we were to climb a hill and let us choose how we wanted to do it – the easy way or with ‘stunts’. My sister was quick to answer: Easy way with stunts! We saw a lot many plants and small creatures, the first of which were wild mushrooms.

Wild Mushrooms

We resumed our walk. After a while we saw that there was a stream cutting our path. After that we saw a waterfall. It was a real treat to the eyes as I felt that the greenery was becoming monotonous. Though waterfall crossing wasn’t in the itinerary I was one of the more adventurous people who tried to cross it and succeeded. I tried to keep my shoes and socks dry, but finally gave up.

We saw this unusual plant which had flowers looking like cups and saucers. We soon faced another rare opportunity: climbing steep and slippery rocks. I didn’t want to miss this chance.

Cups and Saucers

After another tiresome hour we took a relatively longer break.  The view from this place was magnificent. We could identify some buildings in Thakur village now. The pagoda was more identifiable than before. After a Nutella sandwich, I just didn’t want to get up. This half-an-hour break rejuvenated all of us. 

Our canine friend joined us here and remained with us for the remainder of the trek. I found it interesting that the dog was always a couple of steps ahead of me. 

Our Canine Companion

As I was one of the last members to leave the plateau, I assumed that Asif uncle would be leading and followed. We had walked about 400 metres when we heard a voice asking us to stop. I groaned. We returned to where we initially started and after a headcount, we started off in the opposite direction compared to the one we had taken earlier. The effect of Odomos was now slowly starting to wear off. We saw a wider range of insects now. The most intriguing one was an inch-long red insect.

The red insect

After another hour long of ascending the slope we finally reached the point. My toes hurt badly as I was unaccustomed to walking so much. I was utterly shocked when I heard someone calling this a baby-trek, for it had completely worn me out.The scenery from the top, though, was breathtaking. We could see the three major lakes in Mumbai – Tulsi, Vihar and Powai. There was a slight fog which made the scenery even more magical.

View from the Watchpost

I got rid of my wet shoes and socks and climbed the watchpost. What I saw was indescribably beautiful. After eating the remainder of the Nutella sandwiches and a little bit of photography it was time to leave. We left for Gaumukh at about 2pm. This may sound trivial, but I saw one of the most delicate and beautiful anthills on the way back.

Anthill

The journey downwards was relatively easier. We took only half the time we took to reach there from the plateau. We visited Gaumukh first. In the front of the temple is a small pond filled with tadpoles. We rested there a short while and left for the plateau. The sun overhead was playing a game of hide-and-seek. I sat down enjoying moments of solitude and bliss. Jinal came and sat beside me. We spoke for some time. Jinal and I share similar opinion regarding most of the topics we discussed. Before long, we both had fallen asleep.

We woke up from our siesta just as the group was about to leave for the waterfall. The path to the fall was lined with really slippery stones. Reaching the place had been an adventure in itself. After another forty five minutes playing in the water and sitting under the waterfall we had the best time of the day. The people who enjoyed the most were the kids – splasing water on practically everybody present. It became almost impossible to get them out of the water.

The Waterfall

We got to see a variety of insects on the way back. My teacher once told me in that nature has endless ways of fascinating us. The only thing we need to do is look carefully and be patient. The smallest of insects managed to amaze me with their sheer beauty. In a matter of hours, the way I perceived the world around me had changed drastically.

We finally started the last part of the trek: the walk back to Kanheri Caves, where we would have our evening snacks before we left. I was completely exhausted. Kanheri caves were a part of the tour but by the time we reached there, the security personnel were directing the people to leave. Our car was parked about 700 metres away from the canteen and it was a long walk there. After bidding Jenal and Asif uncle goodbye we left. I couldn’t help but feel proud at what I had accomplished.

A Turmeric Flower

For the first time trekkers, here are a few of the things I recommend before I conclude:

• Regular exercise for atleast a couple of weeks prior to the trek. Walking for an hour without stopping would be the best.
• Adequate sleep the night before the trek
• Carrying adequate water to the trek (Roughly 1.5 to 2 litres per person per day)
• Never forget Odomos, sanitizer and a small hand-towel.
• Keep an extra set of clothes and shoes, just in case.

Here is another important thing to remember – your body is going to be sore for 2-3 days as you are not accustomed to trekking. So ideally, trek should be on Saturdays (you get the Sunday to rest).

P.S: Photo Courtesy – my sister

Gujarat-Rajasthan Trip May 2013

The only thing I really picture myself doing in any summer is spending infinite amount of time infront of my laptop and going for a walk with my best friend Vaishu in the evenings. So obviously, when dad put forward this plan of visiting a bunch of places in a short period of time this summer, I wasn’t really psyched. But now, as I look back I realize what difference those eight days have made to me. This trip was basically a pilgrimage. It’s just that I am not overtly religious and this is the second of the three trips that my dad has planned for us in three months to religious places. This one though, differed from the others. It wasn’t just the immediate family of six that was travelling; it was a group of eleven. Considering that we had four senior citizens travelling with us and the ginormous amount of luggage we had with us, we had to do a lot of arrangements. The most surprising thing that I realised about myself is my non-addiction to technology (my cell phone never caught a signal from the service provider throughout the trip and this didn’t affect me at all)

Day 1: Mumbai to Ahmedabad, 19th May

The beginning of the road trip…

After everyone reached Mumbai we had a few hours to make the arrangements. We were to board a late night train, Gujarat Mail, to Ahmedabad junction. The major source of worry was how we would reach the station and which station we were supposed to board from (The train halted at two stations in Mumbai). After giving it some thought, we came up with a brilliant idea – a subgroup would go to the source station with the luggage and the rest of us would join in at the second station. This was a pretty effective solution. By eleven in the night, we were all settled and comfortable in the train and thankfully the journey was pretty smooth.

Day 2: Ahmedabad to Mount Abu, 20th May

After seven hours, the train finally stopped at Ahmedabad junction. We were the last people to get off the compartment. It was 6.55am by the time we reached outside the station (after bargaining with the porters). The name of our driver-cum-guide of the Tempo Traveller we booked was Angrez Singh (we were hoping he would be a foreigner, but our hopes were dashed).

View from Hotel Karnavati, Mount Abu

It is surprising that no matter how much you plan a trip, there are always some last minute glitches and problems, and the funny thing is that we tend to remember the glitches more clearly than the actual trip. A little after we left the station we realised that the air conditioning had failed us. Normally it wouldn’t make a difference but as we were visiting Rajasthan in the month of May, we decided to not take any risks. After a very long breakfast at a restaurant called Maharaj we got a new tempo, and we checked the vehicle for all the features we needed. Our new driver-guide was Bholabhai. He was really sweet to us and was knowledgeable about the area. My topsy-turvy health led me to believe that a diet of two chocolate ice-cream cones a meal would be enough while travelling.

By 2.45pm we had checked into Hotel Karnavati. Though not the best pick, it is located centrally and conveniently. We finally sought some well-deserved rest after an on-and-off journey of 16 hours. We decided to explore the area a bit in the evening, starting with the sunset point. I learnt a great deal about adapting. The actual point was about 750 metres away from the main entrance and there and as there were no vehicles around, the local people had this innovative idea of horses and reasonably priced mini-handcarts to seat two people. I was pretty impressed as they managed to reduce both- atmospheric and noise pollution, at the same time provide means of employment to the local people.

The actual fun lay in the journey and not the destination, as the actual point wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped. My sister though, had a lot of fun trying to capture different things in her new camera. The sunset wasn’t even a proper one. The sun just vanished somewhere all of a sudden after 7.30pm!

Nakki Lake, an hour after sunset

We visited Nakki Lake after bidding bye to the disappearing sun. I find it really fascinating that every place in our country has some significance. It has its own story to tell, no matter how small. Nakki Lake is said to be dug by Gods with their fingernails and is thus considered sacred. The place near the lake had a charm of its own. The altitude of the lake is about 1100 metres, the highest for a lake in almost the entire western India.

The thing that charmed me the most was the restaurant on the lakeside. There were dozens and dozens of shops selling jewellery and pieces of art native to Rajasthan. I was stumped by the fact that Mount Abu is almost like mini-Mumbai: the place has US Pizza and CCD! After dinner at a nearby restaurant and a little bit of shopping we retired to our respective hotel rooms.

Shops near Nakki Lake

Day 3: Mount Abu, 21st May

Today was all about exploring the place. We decided to explore the area as much as we could. We left the hotel room early in the morning. We first visited Dilwara temple, but as it was not open to general public before noon, we decided to go Achaleshwar temple instead.

The interesting thing about Achaleshwar temple is its story. I found it intriguing that instead of the usual Linga in the Shiva temples, Lord Shiva’s TOE is worshipped here. Legend has it that when Achaleshwar was sinking to Pataallok (netherworld), people prayed to Lord Shiva for protection. Lord Shiva was in Kashi at that time and extended his right foot and balanced the whole place on the big toe. The temple has beautiful intricate marble architecture that was a real treat to sore eyes. In front of the temple is a giant statue of Nandi, which weighs about 250kg, made of ‘panchadhatu’ or five elements. We did a little bit of shopping here as well.

The next place we visited was the Peace Park managed by Brahmakumaris. The place has acres of gardens and is maintained reallt well. The highlights include a laser-light show, which makes people think about their existence and their deeds throughout life. The place overflows with serenity and calmness. I wondered how I felt peaceful and at ease all of a sudden. The cool pleasantness of weather there astonished us as we expected it to be scorching hot.

We then went to the Dilwara temples. Dilwara temples are dedicated to the 24 Jain Tirthankaras. The temples  are an architectural perfection and the use of marble is stunning. Built in 1013 over a period of 14 years, the temples required 1200 masons and 1400 labourers for completion. What really amazes me is the estimated cost for completion- 12.36crore (at that time!).

Most of us visited the Adhar Devi temple in the evening; however I was incapacitated due to fatigue. The temple is said to be one of the fifty two places in the world where the ashes of Goddess Sati are scattered. To reach the temple one has to climb about 365 small steps. We then returned to our rooms, packing and planning for the trip back to Ahmedabad early the next day.

Day 4: Mount Abu to Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad, 22nd May

This day was mostly about travel again. We had to leave really early because there was supposed to be a huge gathering of tribals at Nakki Lake, which would block the roads. On this day, the lakhs of tribals from all walks of life come from far and wide to pay respects to the souls of their departed ancestors, for they believe them to visit the lake on the auspicious day. Apart from that, the place also witnesses a lot of tribal matchmaking on this day.

I was too unwell and sleepy when we visited Ambaji temple on the way down the hill and hence couldn’t make it inside but I was told that the place was really well managed and that the overall darshan time was only five minutes, which is pretty impressive considering the morning crowd.

I should have known better than to order idli in Gujarat area when we stopped for brunch in a dhaba-like restaurant as it tasted funny. We spent a major chunk of the day travelling and reached Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat at about 2.45pm. As we were really pressed for time we decided that we would visit only Akshardham temple there. The driver told us that people spend roughly three hours exploring different places in the premises and so did we.

Akshardham temple is undoubtedly one of the few places I have visited which induces a great calming effect. I was really inspired by the enormity, beauty and the serenity of the place. What really touched my heart was the story of the eleven year old boy, who after renouncing material life in 1792, walked 12000km barefoot over a period of 7 years, touching and making an impact on millions of souls. The fact that a single youth brought about such tremendous change continues to amaze me, and makes me wonder about the enormity of change every single one of us can bring about if we commit ourselves to it.

On reaching Ahmedabad in the evening we checked into Hotel Kamran Palace at about 8pm. We were touched by the extra effort made by the hotel staff to help us feel comfortable. It was Sashi kaka and Usha kaku’s marriage anniversary and the hotel staff was sweet enough to help us find a cake to celebrate. They wouldn’t even let us pay for the rickshaw fare to and from the cake shop! After half hour long celebrations and a show of Pokemon (I still watch it sometimes) and Takeshi’s Castle, I drifted off to the land of dreams.

Day 5: Ahmedabad to Dwarka, 23rd May

It was now a routine for me to wake up early (after a decent amount of struggle of course). We had to leave Ahmedabad before the morning rush started. Our driver’s little son joined the trip with us hereon. He was pretty excited as it was his first trip with his dad.After a light breakfast and a very long drive we stopped at the outskirts of Jamnagar at Milan Restaurant. Our driver informed us that the place was very famous and that people took a detour for as far as 50km just to have lunch there. At first the place appeared ordinary but as soon as the food arrived on our tables, I understood why the place was so famous. The food was so awesome that for once, I decided to forget my icecream diet. The most interesting thing that I could point out was that even Mirchi pakoda was sweet!

On reaching Dwarka a couple of hours later, I couldn’t help but compare it to my city. Dwarka is somewhat like Mumbai, minus the large scale urbanisation. It is also located on the seaside, thus assuring us beautiful views in the evenings. We stayed at hotel Dwarka Darshan, which is really close to the Dwarkadhish temple. It was more of a budget guest house than a hotel to me. I was informed that for the evening Aarti at the Dwarkadhish temple, the sanctum had been decorated to portray a Rasleela scene. Back in the room, looking at the ceiling we noticed that it was decorated by hundreds of glow in the dark stars. It was a pleasant sight. It’s funny that in real life I don’t ever remember seeing those many stars in the night.

Day 6: Dwarka, 24th May

Boats and jetties near Bet-Dwarka

This day was really packed with loads of sight-seeing. We started for the Bet-Dwarka temple. Literally Bet-Dwarka translates to “Island of Dwarka”. That’s why a part of our journey was by the jetty. The jetty was fun. It’s been really long since I had a jetty ride. We were lucky to reach the Krishna temple just in time to witness the whole of morning Aarti. The place started getting crowded as we were leaving. We proceeded to Nageshwar temple, which is believed to be a Jyotirlinga (There is some ambiguity when it comes to Jyotirlingas. Some people worship Nageshwar in Gujarat, whereas some others consider Aundha Nagnath in Maharashtra as a Jyotirlinga).

Rukmini Devi Temple, Dwarka

It is said that a pilgrimage to Dwarka is incomplete if we visit the Dwarkadhish temple and not the Rukmini Devi temple. Legend has it that Lord Krishna abducted Rukmini Devi from her marriage as she prayed to him to do so. They got married and went take the blessings of sage Durvasa (who was known for his short temper). He agreed to bless the married couple on the condition that the couple would draw the chariot from the Ashram to the palace themselves. They agreed but in the process, Rukmini Devi got exhausted and asked for water. Lord Krishna made water appear from the earth and the couple quenched their thirst. This angered the sage, as the couple had not offered water to him, the guest, first (considering “Atithi Devo Bhava”: the guests are treated equivalent to Gods). Enraged he cursed them with twelve long years away from each other. He also cursed River Ganga (all the water in the world is believed to be a part of the river) and ever since, the natural water in Dwarka is saline.

Evening at Dwarka

The last place we visited was the Dwarkadhish temple. Although there wasn’t any Raasleela scene, the temple really took my breath away. After this was the most memorable part of the day- visiting Gomti Ghat. The cool breeze coupled with the waves of cold water hitting the marble steps is something I will never forget. After this we had our dinner in the restaurant joining the hotel and we went to sleep under the glowing artificial stars in the room.

Day 7: Dwarka to Porbandar to Somnath, 25th May

Dwarka and Somnath are both coastal cities. And hence, the road we took ran parallel to the sea. We left pretty early in the morning for Somnath. The detour to Porbandar wasn’t exactly planned, but surely was most welcome. Porbandar is the birthplace of Gandhiji and hence the main place of interest was the bungalow where he was born. The building is the property of Archaeological Survey of India now. It was built almost a hundred years before Gandhiji was born. It is a 3 storeyed building having about 22 rooms in total. This was followed by a visit to the Sudama temple, which is another tourist attraction in the place. In the rented vehicle we had a dose of khakras, chips and a local variety of mangoes before we started again, this time towards Somnath.

Beach en route to Somnath

The most memorable thing about this day was the twenty minutes we spent at the beach en route. Standing in the hot sand with the cool waves cooling our feet… For a few minutes I felt like nothing else in the world existed and even if it did, nothing mattered. After a tender coconut and some photos, we were back on the road.

Our room in Somnath

We reached Somnath late afternoon. We stayed at Samudra Darshan Yatri Niwas. I really loved the view from our room. The windows were about huge and offered a really beautiful view of the seaside. The best part about the guest house was that it shared a boundary wall with the temple. Sadly we had to walk about a kilometre to get inside the temple premises as the exclusive entrance from guest house was sealed off. However the walk was really worth it, as the temple was breathtakingly beautiful.

Somnath Temple

I felt both immense pride and sadness on hearing about the history of the temple through the Light and Sound Show. Being a Jyotirlinga, Somnath has seen the best and the worst times of Indian history.  The first time it was destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni, who plundered its wealth after killing 50000 people protecting it. It has subsequently been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, with the completion of the latest restoration in 1955.

I silently promised myself that I would visit the temple again before we left for Ahmedabad.

Moonlit Night at Somnath

After having the temple checked off on our to-see list, we had dinner and a hearty sleep. Dad told me that he had a surprise planned for the next day. I wondered what it was.

Day 8: Somnath, 26th May

I finally understood what surprise dad was referring to. We were to visit the Gir forest near Sasan village. Gir is the only home to Asiatic lions in India. I was on the top of the world. In the area, initially we were struggling to see even a herd of deer. We spotted increasing number of animals and birds as we reached closer to the interpretation zone.

Spotted Deer

Peacock on the run

We saw a couple of beautiful peacocks but they vanished as soon as we were about to click photos. We reached the interpretation zone where at a nominal fee we were given a ride in the buses. We saw about ten lions in total (including the cubs), apart from a fox, neelgai, deer and many peacocks. The lions looked at bliss. The guide told us that the forest was home to 411 Asiatic lions. I was dumbstruck by the sheer beauty of the majestic creatures. Their eyes are really captivating and I bet no camera can actually capture their depth and power. I wished that the time would just stop. I didn’t want to go back. Not for a while. After the tour of the interpretation zone, we left to have breakfast at a restaurant nearby.

Lioness and her cubs

Sleepy Asiatic Lions

Lion Cubs

On the way back to Somnath we stopped to have mangoes. The trees were miniature- we could pluck the mangoes ourselves. After plucking some raw ones we bought a lot of ripe mangoes. The owner of the mango orchard told us that he had spotted a couple of lions there the previous night, and that he drove them away with a stick (as though they were extra large sized stray dogs!). The mangoes were really delicious and it was impossible to have just one.

We returned to Somnath late afternoon. After a very welcome hot bath, we left for Somnath temple again. I couldn’t just get enough of it. We visited Ahilyeshwar temple nearby that was constructed by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, who was responsible for the restoration of many important temple sites in India. The Linga in the temple was made really huge and hence it would have been impossible for the invaders to possibly plunder it. I couldn’t help but wonder at her brilliance. We returned to the hotel room just in time for the IPL 6 final match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, which continued till way past midnight. I was really thrilled to see Mumbai finally win after 6 long years.

Day 9-10: Somnath to Ahmedabad to Mumbai

We had a really long 10 hour long journey in front of us. We were supposed to reach Ahmedabad and then catch the same train we came in, Gujarat Mail, back to Mumbai. We decided to stop by at the Triveni Sangam in Somnath before leaving. The sangam is a place where three rivers – Hiranya, Kapila and Saraswati and is considered a really sacred place.

We reached Ahmedabad by 6.30pm and our train left at about 10.30pm so we had some times on our hands. We decided to try out some food at Induben Khakrawala and some pizzas at Jessuben pizza as we had heard a lot about these two places. Sadly the pizzas weren’t as good as expected. By 9pm we were at the railway station and all set to go home. Time does really fly when you are enjoying. This may sound like an abrupt ending…..but the truth is that we ended this journey by planning the next one.

Here are a few tips for the people planning to visit Gujarat

• Somnath is a must visit. If you are looking at a sea-facing hotel in the vicinity of the temple, my suggestion to you would be Hotel Samudra Darshan Yatri Nivas (book well in advance!). The rates are reasonable and the rooms are amazingly comfortable.
• Gir Forest is less than 50km from Somnath. The Asiatic lions, deer and peacocks there are definitely worth a visit. And while you are there, make sure you take a wildlife tour ONLY by Gujarat Tourism in the Gir Forest Interpretation Zone. Though you have to go a few extra kilometers inward, it is totally worth it. For a fact, it’s very reasonable compared to the private tours available.
• If you are planning to visit the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar, it would be advisable to allocate atleast half a day for enjoying its immensity and beauty
• While visiting Dwarka temple make sure you visit the Rukmini Devi Temple as well. The journey to Dwarka is said to be incomplete otherwise
• While visiting Dwarka, a trip to Bet-Dwarka should be on your checklist. A journey by jetty is a welcome change to the otherwise road trips. While going to the temple try to reach before the morning Aarti. The place gets crowded after the Aarti
• Porbandar, being the birthplace of Gandhiji, is also worth a visit. The ancestral house of Gandhiji has been well maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India and is now a heritage structure.
• Hotel Kamran Palace in Ahmedabad was the most reasonable compared to the other hotels we stayed in. Apart from being very well maintained, the staff was really hospitable and helpful.
• When it comes to restaurants, here is an absolute winner. Milan Restaurant near Jamnagar. People take a detour of upto 50 km just to enjoy a meal there. Don’t underestimate the food by the modest looks of the place. The food is plain amazing.

And, finally, a few tips for people visiting Mt. Abu

• Be very careful while choosing your hotel. Thorough research about your hotel and its location will come in handy.
• Visit Sunset Point only if you have spare time. Although it is good, there are many more things to explore in the area
• The best time to visit Nakki Lake would be in the evenings. The lake looks amazing in the moonlight and the restaurant is a calm and peaceful place
• Have an idea about the festivals falling during your visit and plan your trip accordingly.
• The Dilwara Temple is a must visit for the people going to Mt. Abu. DO NOT MISS IT. Speaking of which, it is open to non-Jains only after noon. Plan accordingly.
•  The Peace Park maintained by the Brahmakumari Trust is well maintained. Do take time to visit and enjoy its beauty and serenity.

Photo Courtesy: My dear sister